
Book ■ Hi t 

CoRiiglitN? 

COPyRIGHT DEPQSm 



THE LEADERSHIP OF 
BIBLE STUDY GROUPS 



BY 

HERMAN HARRELL HORNE, Ph.D. (Harv.) 

Professor of the History of Education and the History of Philosophy 
in New York University. Azithor of ** The Philosophy of 
Education,^'* " The Psychological Principles of Edu- 
cation^' '''• Idealism in Education,^'' *" Free Will 
and Human ResponsibtUty^'* etc. 



2l560cfatlon IP r ess 

New York: 124 East 28th Street 

London: 47 Paternoster Row, E. C. 

1912 






COPYRIGHT, iqi2, BY 

THE INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE OF 
YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATIONS 



H^.Co 



©CI.A328170 



PREFACE 

This little manual attempts to provide the essen- 
tials in the training of leaders of groups of Bible 
students, especially in our colleges. Its two aims 
are, first, to make easily available for those who 
need them the practical pedagogical principles gen- 
erally accepted both by successful teachers and by 
students of education; and, second, to put a new 
emphasis upon the primary place of the principle 
of activity in religious education. 

Though written primarily for the departments 
of Bible Study in our college Young Men's Chris- 
tion Associations, being an expansion of the " Syl- 
labus " that appeared in the May I titer collegian, 
it is hoped the book will prove useful also to the 
Young Women's Christian Associations and to 
Bible teachers in our Sunday-schools, and else- 
where. 

The general view-point of the book is that the 
Bible should come to function more largely in the 
life of modern man and society, through having 
brought to it our personal a'nd social needs and 
problems for satisfaction and solution, and also 



IV 



PREFACE 



through the enlistment of persons to carry the hght 
of the gospel into all our dark places. 

The manual is interleaved for purposes of note 
making, indicating the desirability of an independ- 
ent attitude on the part of users of the book. 

References to the main topics discussed are 
grouped at the end of the book. 

The author is indebted to a large number, of kind 
critics for constructive suggestions. 

H. H. HORNE. 
August 25, 191 2. 
Silver Bay, N. Y. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Chapter L Introduction : General View of 

• the Problem ..... i 

Chapter II. Qualifications for Group Lead- 
ership , , o o . . . 8 

Chapter IIL Preparation for Leading the 

Group .21 

Chapter IVo The Art of Leading the Group . 34 

Chapter Vo Several Additional Matters . . 47 

Appendix 

Hints to the Leader of the Leaders . . 58 

Reference Books . . • . o » . . .60 



THE LEADERSHIP OF BIBLE 
STUDY GROUPS 

Chapter I 

INTRODUCTION 

General View of the Problem 

The aim of this manual is to provide the essen- ^^^l^i^uJi 
tials in the training of leaders of Bible Study 
groups. 

Regarding leaders of groups it is enough at this 
point to say that the success or failure of the Bible 
Study classes depends more largely upon the leaders Leaders of 
of the groups than upon all other elements of the their 
problem combined. The fundamental essential to "^^°^ 
successful Bible Study is efficient leadership. The 
whole effort of this manual is directed toward 
securing such leadership by discovery and develop- 
ment. 

Training is the process of acquiring knowledge Training 
and skill in a given direction. 

The training of group leaders involves three 
things, viz., (i) A study, under an expert leader, 

I 



2 LEADERSHIP OF BIBLE STUDY GROUPS 

of the principles of group leadership, with which 
this manual undertakes to deal. (2) Consultation 
with an expert supervisor from time to time, say 
once a week, regarding the difficulties encountered 
in the leadership of the groups and the application 
of the general principles of teaching to the actual 
course of study. (3) Practice Teaching under a 
sympathetic critic. In addition there are self- 
criticism and self-education, both invaluable aids. 
Training The training just described may be received in 

three corresponding types of classes, viz., (i) 
The General Method Class, dealing with the gen- 
eral principles of teaching and group leadership, 
using this manual or some similar text as a basis. 
(2) Normal Training Classes, dealing with the ap- 
plication of the general principles to each separate 
course of study, e.g., " The Will of God," '' The 
Life of Christ," etc. (3) Practice Teaching, under 
the supervision and private criticism of an expert. 
To these should be added that best of all means of 
progress, self-teaching. 

It is recommended that at least the first and sec- 
ond types of training classes here described be 
used, because many group leaders need assistance 
in applying to their course of study the general 
principles learned in the first class, and this appli- 
cation is made in the Normal Training Class. Be- 
sides, no set of general principles can cover all the 
points of a specific course. So as a rule a single 
training class will not be sufficient. Furthermore, 



INTRODUCTION 3 

any type of training class exceeding fifteen in num- 
ber of persons enrolled should be divided. 

In institutions where it is impracticable to have 
a separate training class in the principles of leader- 
ship, the training in principles, as well as the con- 
sideration of the material for the group discussions, 
may be carried on in the same Leaders' Training 
Class, conducted in the fall. This could best be 
done, however, only in cases where a single Bible 
Study course is being used. 

We must carefully distins^uish between these Training vs. 

, / , -r^., 1 r- 1 Bible study 

trammg classes and the regular Bible Study groups, classes 
The two are by no means the same. These train- 
ing classes are to fit students to lead the Bible Study 
groups. The training classes aim to develop skill 
in handling the Bible Study groups. The differ- 
ence between the two sets of classes is that be- 
tween form and content, — the training classes 
develop form in teaching, while the Bible Study 
groups secure knowledge of the content of the 
Bible. 

It is recommended that the General Method Time of the 

Year for 

Class in principles be conducted for the leaders ^ff^^^i^s 
of the Bible Study groups prior to the beginning 
of these groups, perhaps even in the spring of the 
preceding academic year ; that the Normal Training 
Classes be conducted at the same time, using the 
same texts, as the Bible Study groups ; that the 
Bible Study groups be informally visited by the ex- 
pert leaders of the General Method and Normal 



LEADERSHIP OF BIBLE STUDY GROUPS 



Leaders of 

Training 

Classes 



Answers to 
Criticism of 
Training 
Classes 



Training Classes, at -least at the beginning of new 
courses, for the purpose of observation and later 
private conference with the group leaders. 

Preferably persons who themselves have had 
some pedagogical training should be secured to 
lead the training classes. In any case, whether 
they have had such training or not, they should be 
good teachers. Such are most likely to be found 
among the secretaries of the Association, the 
faculty, and the ministers of the community. It 
is desirable that the leaders of the General Method 
Class and of the Normal Training Class be the 
same, or work in close cooperation with each 
other, lest the group leaders be confused by a 
diversity of methods recommended. 

Association workers have heard and will hear 
objections to training, like these: "teachers are 
born, not made," " method kills inspiration," etc. 
These objections are to be sympathetically heard 
and answered. It is true that teachers are born, 
and it is true that there must be inspiration in 
teaching. But it is also true that the born teacher 
is better for being well made, and that an inspir- 
ing teacher loses nothing in the end by improved 
methods, but rather gainSo Born and inspiring 
musicians, painters, and surgeons must nevertheless 
gain skill and technique for highest success. This 
they do by means of study under masters of skill 
and technique as well as by practice. 



INTRODUCTION 



PRESUPPOSITIONS REGARDING BIBLE STUDY. 



In the preparation of this manual, certain things 
regarding Bible Study are presupposed as true in 
the light of past experience, and so while requir- 
ing of us a statement here, need no further argu- 
ment in their defense. Among these things may 
be included the following: 

(i) That the discussion of selected portions of 
Scripture by a group has certain valuable features 
not obtainable by the private study of the in- 
dividual alone. Among these features may be 
mentioned the stimulation resulting from the pres- 
ence of others, the information and broadening of 
sympathy which come from hearing the view- 
points of others, and the benefit of expressing one- 
self before others. Despite these real advantages 
of group study, this work should by no means be 
regarded as a substitute for the daily " Morning 
Watch " of the individual alone. 

(2) (That the Bible has a personal and social 
message worth while for modern life — a message 
that is educative, inspiring, adjustable, and direct- 
ive ; educative because developmental ; inspiring be- 
cause it acquaints us with God; adjustable because 
applicable to the needs of modern society; and 
directive because it guides our methods of personal 
and social work. 

(3) That each individual owes it to himself to 
find out what this personal and social message for 



Values of 
Group Study 



The Biblical 
Message is 
Worth While 



Duty to 
Oneself 



LEADERSHIP OF BIBLE STUDY GROUPS 



The 

Experimental 

Method 



Individual 
and Social 
Transforma- 
tion 



him is, and that it is worth while to do so, even 
if the message does not at once win wilHng con- 
sent. He may become worse for the revelation of 
his duty which he does not undertake to perform, 
but he may become better through walking in the 
light as fast as it is revealed to him. 

(4) That the best method to adopt in discover- 
ing this message is the inquiring, open-minded^ 
experimental one. 

" O taste and see that the Lord is good." 
To Andrew and John, inquiring of Jesus where 
he dwelt, the Master replied with an invitation to 
companionship : " Come and see ! " 

The truth is not to be accepted intellectually 
so much as done practically. To Christian and 
non-Christian alike, seeking to- know the biblical 
way of life, or even doubting this way, the motto 
to be commended is : " Try it and see for your- 
self." This is the embodiment of the empirical 
method of science in Christian experience. 

(5) Further, that if this message is followed, 
the life of the individual will first be transformed, 
the social significance of Christian principles will 
be appreciated,^ and so ultimately, though grad- 
ually, the human race will become in fact the 
family of God. A careful study of the methods 
and work of Jesus reveals the fact that he ap- 
proached the problem of improving society through 

1 J. W. Jenks, The Social Significance of the Teachings of 
Jesus. 



INTRODUCTION 7 

transforming individuals rather than through 
changing social conditions by legislation or other- 
wise. His ministry at Jacob's well near the village 
of Sychar is a good illustration. 

(6) Finally.' apart from religious considerations A Matter 

\ . , . , 1 ; 1 • of Culture 

and entirely from the cultural standpoint, every 
educated man and woman should know through 
. first-hand study the elements of the greatest reli- 
gious development in the world, as recorded in the 
Bible, and the essentials in the character of the most 
influential person in human history, Jesus of 
Nazareth.^ Furthermore, without the knowledge 
of the Bible one cannot fully appreciate or under- 
stand English and American literature, or enter 
sympathetically into the great modern world move- 
ments for spiritual supremacy. 

From the educational standpoint, since modern 
public education is not committed to biblical instruc- 
tion, and yet biblical knowledge is an essential in 
liberal education, it is the more incumbent upon 
voluntary organizations and upon individuals to 
promote Bible Study as an object of primary im- 
portance. 

- H. H. Home, Psychological Principles of Education, 
Chap. XXXIV, 



Chapter II 

QUALIFICATIONS FOR GROUP LEADER- 
SHIP 



Practical 
Value of 
Considering 
These 
Qualifications 



In Discovering 
Leaders 



In 
Self-Testing 



In 

maintaining 

Ideals 



In the preceding chapter we saw the strategic 
importance of the position of the leader of the 
Bible Study group. We come now to consider his 
qualifications. Such consideration is of practical 
value in three ways. • 

(i) These qualifications are to be used by 
secretaries, present group leaders, and others, in 
discovering future leaders. 

(2) They are to be used by prospective leaders 
in testing their own ability to lead. 

(3) They are to be used as ideals to follow, 
that leaders may both strengthen the weak points 
and emphasize the strong points in their work. 
The latter is both easier and more important to do, 
though the former should not be neglected. 

What are these qualifications? 



TYPES OF HUMAN LEADERSHIP. 

Let us make an inductive study of human leader- 
ship, with a view to discovering what the qualifi- 
cations for leadership really are. We naturally 



QUALIFICATIONS FOR GROUP LEADERSHIP 9 



Type 



suppose that a person who possesses in some de- 
gree one or more of the qualities found in the great 
historic leaders of mankind may himself become a 
successful group leader. If we take some thirty of 
the greatest leaders of men and seek to classify 
them in groups according to their striking similar- 
ities, there turn out to be just three of these groups. 

The first group would include Plato, the great The 
Greek philosopher ; Aristotle, the great Greek scien- 
tist and philosopher; St. Thomas Aquinas, the 
greatest Roman Catholic theologian; Calvin, the 
theologian of Protestantism ; Jefferson, the philos- 
opher of social democracy ; Calhoun, the logician of 
secession ; Webster, the interpreter of the Consti- 
tution ; Tolstoy, the prophet of a new social order ; 
Carlyle, England's great philosopher of work; 
Bishop Brooks, America's leader of liberal ortho- 
doxy. 

A very little reflection on the secret of such in- 
fluence as these men exercised, reveals that theirs 
is the type of intellectual leadership. They are the 
thinkers for their fellows in the various fields of 
philosophy, science, politics, and religion. Many 
other illustrations of this group could be found, 
notably that of Kant, the greatest thinker of the 
modern world, and it would be profitable for readers 
to add still other names to the list. 

Now, intellectual leadership involves three things, 
viz., (i) originality, (2) penetration, and (3) 
soundness of judgment. The second and third 



What 

Intellectual 
Leadership 
Involves 



10 LEADERSHIP OF BIBLE STUDY GROUPS 



The 

Volitional 

Type 



What 
Volitional 
Leadership 
Involve? 



factors are very closely related ; still, a judgment 
may be sound, yet not penetrating. Originality is 
necessary to distinguish the leader from the fol- 
lower. Penetration is necessary to give depth of 
thought to originality and to preclude superfi- 
ciality. And soundness of judgment is necessary 
that one's conclusions may remain, at least to out- 
last long reaches of time. 

The second group would include Moses, the 
leader and lawgiver of Israel; Alexander the 
Great, world-conqueror; Julius Caesar, the same; 
Trajan, as emperor of Rome uniformly successful 
in great enterprises; Constantine, who established 
Christianity as a state religion of Rome; Luther, 
founder of Protestantism ; Cromwell, Puritan Pro- 
tector of the English Commonwealth; Richelieu, 
great French minister of state ; Washington, winner 
of American freedom; Napoleon, the greatest of 
conquerors ; Bismarck,, real founder of modern 
Germany. 

The secret of the influence of these is will 
leadership. These are the doers for their fellows. 
Of course this type of leadership involves great 
intellectual ability also, especially in the formation 
of practical plans of action. Other illustrations 
of this group could also be found, including dis- 
coverers, like Columbus, and inventors, like Edison. 

Now, volitional leadership involves four things, 
common enough in themselves, but rare in com^ 
bination, viz., (i) definiteness of purpose; (2) 



QUALIFICATIONS FOR GROUP LEADERSHIP ii 

largeness of purpose; (3) faith in this purpose; 
and (4) tenacity of purpose. Definiteness of pur- 
pose prevents aimless action. Largeness of pur- 
pose involves affecting, directly or indirectly, a 
great many people. Faith in one's purpose solicits 
the aid of others in its execution^ and also leads to 
tenacity of purpose without which obstacles cannot 
be surmounted. 

The third group includes such names as Con- The 

^ ^ Emotional 

f ucius, China's great moralist ; Buddha, the founder Type 
of Buddhistic religion ; Zoroaster, the founder of 
the Parsi religion ; Socrates, the great moral teacher 
of the Greeks ; Mohammet, the founder of Moham- 
medanism ; St. Francis of Assisi, the personal leader 
of the Franciscans ; Ignatius Loyola, the founder 
of the Jesuits ; Rousseau, French apostle of natu- 
ralism ; Henry Clay, " the great pacificator " ; Maz- 
zini, the great Italian patriot. 

The secret of the influence of these is personal 
sympathy. They enter into the lives of their fel- 
lows through feeling. Other illustrations could be 
found here also, including some of the leaders of 
the Crusades. 

Emotional leadership involves two thinsfs, viz.. What 

11 • • r r I- Emotional 

(i) great sympathy, and (2) intensity of feeling. Leadership 
With these qualities must also go a certain intel- 
lectuality to guide and a certain practicality to 
execute. 



12 LEADERSHIP OF BIBLE STUDY GROUPS 



COMMENTS ON THESE GROUPS OF LEADERS. 



Health 



Influence 
vs. True 
Greatness 



The Leader is 
not Equally 
Strong in All 
Respects 



Unity of 
Leader With 
His Fellows 



Adaptation of 
Leader to 
Group 



As we compare these three groups with each 
Other, there are some outstanding impressions. 

(i) Practically all of these men were endowed 
with a great amount of physical vitality, — they had 
health. Rousseau is an exception. 

(2) Influence and true greatness are not iden- 
tical. All of these men were leaders of influence ; 
some of them were not truly great. Napoleon, for 
example, lacked the moral purpose essential to true 
greatness. 

(3) Some of these men had all the qualities of 
leadership, but not equally present. Bismarck was 
certainly a man of thought as well as of will, and 
Socrates certainly was a man of thought as well as 
of feeling. Indeed, some of the illustrations may 
be incorrectly placed. 

(4) The qualities of leadership — intellect, will^ 
and feeling are common to men ; psychology finds 
these characteristics in every human soul ; the high 
degree to which any one quality is present makes 
the leader. So the leader after all is one with 
his fellows, differing from them only in degree, 
not in kind. And every man has something in him 
akin to, if not identical with, leadership. 

(5) As we think of different leaders for differ- 
ent ages, meeting different needs, it is evident that 
different groups of people have needed and will need 
and prefer different types of leadership. The 



QUALIFICATIONS FOR GROUP LEADERSHIP 13 

leader must represent the essential needs of his 
group, giving its members not what they praise, 
nor what they want, but what he truly sees they 
really need. A group of students requires intel- 
lectual leadership, a group of practical men requires 
volitional leadership, a group of artists requires 
emotional leadership. A mixed group of men re- 
quires an all round type of leadership. 

We all acknowledsre Jesus as our Leader. Shall The 

° "^ . ^ . . Leadership 

we stop a moment at this point to inquire to what of Jesus 
type of leadership he belongs? It is probable that 
different followers of his would assign his leader- 
ship to dift'erent types. Certainly it is to be ad- 
mitted that each of the three types appears promi- 
nently in him. As an intellectual leader his words 
are unparalleled. As a volitional leader his Avorks 
are matchless. His emotional type of leadership 
is strikingly shown in his great compassion on the 
multitudes and on individuals. From the objective 
side, considering his influence with men in each of 
these respects, we have the very many who accept 
his teachings, and the many who are continuing 
liis work in the world, and some from each group 
who feel the sympathetic touch of his personal 
leadership. Those who find truth the dominant 
note in his personality will regard him as belonging 
to the intellectual type of leader ; those who find 
goodness to be the dominant note will assign to 
him the volitional type of leadership ; and those 
who regard beauty and love as the dominant note 



14 LEADERSHIP OF BIBLE STUDY GROUPS 

will assign tO' him the emotional type of leadership. 
Personally, I am inclined to associate Jesus with 
the third group of men, the leaders by virtue of 
personal sympathy rather than by either intellect 
or will, because he is the perfect expression of the 
heart of God. Perhaps Jesus is our supreme 
human leader because he combined in so excep- 
tional and harmonious a way the three types of 
leadership. This is a natural place to stop for a 
• while and reflect upon the divinity of Christ. 

SIGNS OF POTENTIAL LEADERSHIP. 

In accord with the preceding study of human 
leadership, successful group leaders are to be found 
among those who have already shown themselves 
leaders of their fellow students in at least one of 
these fields: 

cia. of (i) Athletics, — physical. 

(2) Scholarship, — intellectual. 

(3) Student Activities, — practical and moraL 

(4) Sympathy, — religious. 

The first class is included because of the en- 
dowment of physical vitality which the leaders of 
the world have had as a rule. Athletic leadership 
is itself, however, not sufficient to make a success- 
ful group leader, though it is a powerful reinforce- 
ment to any other qualification for leadership. The 
athletic leader is likely to have also both the intel- 
lectuality and initiative requisite. The other three 



QUALIFICATIONS FOR GROUP LEADERSHIP 15 

classes evidently correspond to the intellectual, 
volitional, and emotional types of leadership. 
Leaders in any one of these four fields are very 
promising material, though they will not necessarily 
prove themselves to be successful group leaders, 
for which certain specific qualifications drawn from 
the other fields of leadership than that to which 
they belong are essential. 

QUALIFICATIONS FOR GROUP LEADERSHIP. 

The qualifications essential to success in group 
leadership are the following ten : 

(i) A body strong enough to maintain a good 
nerve and to suggest some physical magnetism. 

(2) Studious and capable enough to master 
thoroughly the material taught. 

(3) Independent enough to profit by this manual 
and other helps without being bound by them. 

(4) Good enough to practice in private and 
public personal life what is taught, without ceas- 
ing to be humble. 

( 5 ) With resolution and versatility enough to 
overcome numerous obstacles in the way of a suc- 
cessful Bible Study class. 

(6) With belief in this work enough to make 
sacrifices to win successful leadership. 

(7) Sensible of responsibility enough to take 
advantage of all possible training, perhaps in- 
volving attendance at a Summer Conference. 

(8) Interested enough in his group to study the 



i6 LEADERSHIP OF BIBLE STUDY GROUPS 

members of the group as individuals, with a view 
to meeting their personal needs through presenting 
a personal Saviour from sin. 

- (9) With the larger purpose to see the Bible 
function more definitely in the life of modern 
society. 

(10) Prayerful enough to receive the gift of the 
Holy Spirit, without which there is no spiritual 
success. 
lii^Round"^ Each of these qualifications should be present to 

Leadership achieve satisfactory success in group leadership, 
and the higher the degree of their presence by so 
much the more may success be expected. It may 
be noted also that each of these ten qualifications 
falls under some one of the types of leadership, 
and thus we suggest that the successful group leader 
must draw in some respects, though not equally, 
from all the types of leadership, and so must hold 
before himself an all round leadership as his ideal. 
Thus the disciple strives to be as his Lord, in body, 
thought, action, and love. 

WHO SHALL BE THE LEADERS OF BIBLE STUDY 
GROUPS? 

The real question is '' Should professors or stu- 
dents or any one type of men be used exclusively ? " 
What are the facts in regard to leadership of 
Association voluntary Bible classes for the college 
year 1911-1912? 



QUALIFICATIONS FOR GROUP LEADERSHIP 17 

Students leading Bib-le Study groups . . 2,550 

Faculty men " '' " " . . 1,042 

Business and professional men '' . . . 437 

Students attending groups 2 months or 

more . 24,928 

It must be remembered that not a sufficient num- 
ber of any one type of leader can be secured to 
man the nearly 3,500 groups reported in 1911-1912. 
To use professors exclusively means to increase the 
size of the classes so that the lecture method will 
need to be used exclusively, and later discussions 
will show that this is unwise. 

The statistics show that business men, professors, 
ministers, and professional men, as well as students 
have been used. The records reveal the fact that 
representatives of all types have failed and that rep- 
resentatives of all types have succeeded. The sta- 
tistics corroborate the thesis that success or failure 
does not inhere with any particular type of leader, 
either professional or student, but depends upon the 
individual person. Certainly the ten essential qual- 
ifications just named are not confined to professors, 
nor are they found in all professors. 

The real point of discussion has been : Can stu- T^^/i^^?f,^e9 

^ liead. Groups/ 

dents be successful leaders of their fellows in Bible 
Study? The failure of some student leaders has 
led many to say that they cannot be successful be- 
cause of the difficulty of the subject matter, because 
of the lack of knowledge, and because of their lack 
of experience as teachers. 



[8 LEADERSHIP OF BIBLE STUDY GROUPS 



Causes of 
Failure 



Success of 

Student 

Leaders 



The best answer to these objections is to study 
the causes of failure. It is interesting to note that 
with the exception of the first, these ten essential 
qualifications can be acquired. In almost every case 
lack of success has resulted from failure to meet 
one or more of these qualifications or from some 
preventable cause. The most frequent causes of 
failure are these four : first, lack of careful selection 
of leaders ; second, lack of adaptation to the group ; 
third, lack of training in the material and method 
of Bible Study leadership; fourth, unwillingness 
to take the time for personal preparation. It is 
interesting to note that these are usually the causes 
of failure when a business or professional man 
leads a class, and also that they are all difficulties 
which can be overcome. It certainly is unwise to 
select any students who are willing to lead groups 
without reference to ability and adaptability and 
expect them to make a success. Students so 
selected fail in other college activities, but as there 
are certain students who make efficient college 
leaders in other departments, so those can be found 
who are suited for Bible Study leadership. 

It certainly is unwise to assign students to classes 
to which they are not adapted or which are beyond 
their power to handle. It would seem wiser to 
make use of faculty men for the more advanced 
classes, for those dealing with peculiarly difficult 
religious problems, and for starting Bible Study 
among certain classes. But students with qualifi- 



QUALIFICATIONS FOR GROUP LEADERSHIP 19 

cations of leadership can be used even more suc- 
cessfully for freshmen and sophomores than faculty 
members, for they have just passed through the 
problems which the under-classmen are meeting 
and are in a position to feel their difficulties and so 
provoke discussion more easily than an expert. 
Further, they have the respect of these under-class- 
men and yet, being students there is less danger of 
religious truth being taken merely on authority. 
It seems preposterous to claim that students who 
are trusted for leadership in all sorts of important 
college activities and who will a very few years 
later be taking positions of responsibility in life as 
teachers, ministers, or lawyers, cannot lead Bible 
Study classes as upper-classmen. If they have not 
the ability to make good in this responsibility, it is 
doubtful if they have the qualifications of leader- 
ship which will enable them to make good in their 
respective professions. 

It is certainlv unwise to put inexperienced leaders Essentials to 

'. . . Success 

in charge of Bible Study classes without any train- 
ing 'or supervision, but we have already indicated 
the possibilities for overcoming this through the 
curriculum and through special faculty training and 
supervision for this to be provided. 

If Bible Study leaders feel that while every 
college activity requires the expenditure of time 
and energy to secure success, they need to give no 
time to their Bible Stucjy classes, they will, of 
course, fail. The st'rategic opportunity of vitally 



20 LEADERSHIP OF BIBLE STUDY GROUPS 

affecting the lives of students must be brought 
home to the leaders so forcibly that whether stu- 
dents or professors they will be willing to make the 
sacrifices necessary to insure success. 

The selection of the student leaders certainly 
ought not to be advocated for the sake of the train- 
ing which it gives the students unless it is other- 
wise desirable, but it must be remembered that 
students who lead Bible Study groups acquire val- 
uable experience upon which they can rely later 
when in a position to serve the Church. 

In view of all the facts now before us, it seems 
entirely feasible and desirable to use properly 
selected, well adapted, and adequately supervised 
student leaders of Bible Study groups, especially 
upper-classmen for lower class groups. It is a 
good thing for lower-classmen to have upper-class- 
men as their leaders in this as in other forms of 
student activity. It puts Bible Study on a basis 
of equahty with other things. 
How to The best mode of procedure in securing leaders is 

Leaders to sclcct them in the spring for the work of the fol- 

lowing fall from lists of the most promising material 
in the membership .of the groups submitted by the 
present leaders. Where possible, students who have 
had, or are taking, work in Biblical Introduction 
and Religious Pedagogy in the curriculum should 
be selected. Such students are better prepared to 
lead the groups and they will also themselves be 
greatly benefited by this practical experience. 



Chapter III 

PREPARATION FOR LEADING THE 
GROUP 

The leaders of groups being selected in accord Kinds of 
with the qualifications of leadership just con- 
sidered, we now come to consider the preparation 
such men must make for leading the group. To 
begin with, we must distinguish between two kinds 
of preparation, general and specific. General prep- cienerai 
aration aims at that culture of personality which 
fits a person to be a group leader, as well as to lead 
the complete life. Such preparation really goes 
on all the time. 

Specific preparation aims to fit the leader for the Specific 
next meeting with the group. To it an allotted 
time should be given. We will now make some 
suggestions bearing on each kind of preparation, the 
following out of which will tend to make not only 
good group leaders, but also good college students. 
The fruits of the Christian life should appear in 
collegiate standing as well as in right conduct. 

GENERAL PREPARATION FOR GROUP LEADERSHIP. 

We begin with suggestions toward right general 
preparation for group leadership, (i) Have a 

21 



22 LEADERSHIP OF BIBLE STUDY GROUPS 

schedule of work for each week. Only those who 
have tried it know its benefits and its time-saving 
value. " Efficiency " is the great word of our day 
A Schedule. and system is the watchword of efficiency. If you 
would be efficient, be systematic. In this schedule 
provide for four things, work, play, meals, and 
sleep. Not one of these four things is to be 
slighted. Work — your college studies and intel- 
lectual activities, like debating, associated with them 
— is your business in college. Play is just as im- 
portant as work and just as educative in its own 
way. Play includes all forms of exercise and 
social recreation. Meals are ordinarily too hur- 
ried, neither one's food nor one's companions at 
table being properly treated. How much time 
should be allotted to each of these four matters 
depends upon the individual student, and It is one 
of the most important problems of college life, 
upon which, in fact, the secret of college suc- 
cess essentially depends. For the average student 
a splendid division of time is one-third to work, 
one-third to play and meals, and one-third to sleep. 
Not less than half an hour on the average should be 
given to each rneal. A careful examination on the 
part of each student into how he spends his time, 
which is his most valuable possession, will in most 
cases convince him that he is working too little and 
playing too much. 

Not that your schedule should be inflexible but 
that it should be your working basis ta which you 



PREPARATION FOR LEADING THE GROUP 23 

generally conform, .except with good reason. Try 
it for yourself and find how much more time 
you have for doing things, including Christian 
work. 

(2) Allow time in this schedule for your train- pr^par°ation 
ing class and your specific preparation. They 
naturally fall within the eight hours of the day 
allotted to work. In most cases it will involve no 
sacrifice of other work, for very few students really 

work eight hours out of the twenty-four, but, in 
cases where necessary, less essential college matters 
may well be sacrificed. The person who has under- 
taken the Christian life earnestly is familiar with 
sacrifice. 

(3) Out of the eight hours allotted to recrea- Be Alone 
tion, give some time each day to thought and quiet 
meditation for the growth of your own soul. For 

this purpose a solitary walk in the woods, where 
possible, is desirable. Be alone with Nature, God, 
and your own soul. This solitude secures spiritual 
recreation, as food and exercise recreate the body 
and the mind. One's attitude at such a time should 
be that of passivity and receptivity that the soul 
may come into harmony with the Eternal. 

(4) Pray for right influence with others. We Prayer 
have not yet exhausted the benefits of prayer. 

In fact, we are just coming into a renewed appre- 
ciation of what prayer can accomplish. By prayer 
we not so much conquer God's unwillingness as lay 
hold on God's willingness ; we not so much win 



24 LEADERSHIP OF BIBLE STUDY GROUPS 



College 
Courses 



Truth and 
Life 



blessings God had not intended for us as appro- 
priate blessings he constantly extends to us; we 
not so much change God's will concerning us as 
change our will concerning him and his plan for 
us and the world. We conclude with Jesus: 
" Men ought always to pray." 

(5) Elect a college course in the Bible, where 
such is offered, that will form a background to the 
text used by the group you are leading, and also 
a course in education, preferably in educational 
psychology or method. You will find that electing 
a course for such a specific practical purpose will 
enable you to get a great deal more out of the 
course, because your mind is constantly on the look- 
out for things you can use. This explains why 
men in professional and technical schools are bet- 
ter students than men in liberal colleges, but it does 
not justify surrendering the idea of a liberal 
education. 

(6) In certain of your general college courses 
think of the application to life of the truths 
learned therein. Perhaps you can make use of such 
applications in leading your group. This sugges- 
tion would apply particularly to courses in psy- 
chology, sociology, economics, history, literature, 
and philosophy. Still, do not be disappointed if 
you cannot find a great deal that is of such prac- 
tical value to you, because college courses exist 
primarily for knowledge and appreciation, not for 
use. This may be a mistaken theory of education 



PREPARATION FOR LEADING THE GROUP 25 

but it is the theory upon which American colleges 
and English universities are built. 

(7) In attending your General Method Class Js^S^Jfo* 
and your Normal Training Class and in using their 
results, rely upon your judgment rather than upon 

your memory. Independence, remember, is one of 
your qualifications for group leadership, and here 
is one place it shows. Imitate neither the ant, 
which collects a heap, nor the spider, which spins 
from within itself, but the bee, which both collects, 
reworks and distills the sweet essence. Let your 
mind be neither a sieve for all material to pass 
through like water, nor a funnel to transmit all 
material just as received, but like the chemical 
retort in which new processes take place. How- 
ever much your training, you must end by being 
yourself and not your trainer. You may do as 
he did but not exactly what he did. 

(8) Finally, of these suggestions for general Personality 
preparation, try to become yourself in all things 

what you earnestly desire the members of your 
group to become. Be unto them what you would 
have them be unto you and unto others. You will 
influence them more by what you are than by any- 
thing you can possibly say. A very little, feebly 
said, but well supported by right living is better 
than fine thoughts clothed in beautiful language 
but out of harmony with one's real self. 

Thus, to repeat, having all these suggestions in 
mind, general preparation aims at that ideal cul- 



26 LEADERSHIP OF BIBLE STUDY GROUPS 

tivation of the nature and growth of the soul which 
fits for most efficient and acceptable service. 



study Your 
Topic 



Outside 
Beading 



Use a Good 
Story 



SUGGESTIONS FOR SPECIFIC PREPARATION. 

At this point we pass to the suggestions for 
specific preparation for group leadership. 

(i) Master your topic thoroughly each time by 
study. There is no such thing as a single success- 
ful group meeting without the most careful and 
specific preparation for that particular meeting. 
If no successful teacher permits himself to go be- 
fore his class without definite preparation for that 
meeting, though he may have been over the 
ground often before, how much more should the 
Bible group leader thoroughly prepare* himself 
each time! If you would be a leader indeed, put 
a great deal of conscience into your preparation. 
Later we will have more hints on study. 

(2) Read up a little on the subject outside the 
text, that you may have something new to con- 
tribute, that you may feel yourself to be handling 
the truth instead of a text about it, that you may 
be to a degree independent of your text, and that 
the members of your group may feel you know 
more about the subject than they do, and so that 
you lead by right. 

(3) Settle on some good story to tell at the end 
of the meeting to carry the truth of the lesson 
home. The story is more easily remembered by 
the members of the group than abstract material, 



PREPARATION FOR LEADING THE GROUP ij 

it appeals to the imagination, it makes the truth 
more acceptable, it is interesting, and it gives 
variety. It is worth while to get into the habit of 
noting good stories when you hear them or run 
across them in reading. They may be clipped from 
newspapers and put into your notebook. Later we 
will have some hints on story-telling. 

(4) In preparing for a meeting in which the Anticipate 
conference method figures at all, and it should difficulties 
figure some in every meeting, anticipate in advance 

as far as possible the difficult questions that may 
be raised by the group members, that you may not 
be caught unawares, that you may give considerate 
answers to new questions, and so that you retain 
your real leadership of the class. Yet, if thrown 
off your feet by a hard question, admit it frankly 
rather than try to gain equilibrium awkwardly. 

(5) In preparing for the meeting into which the Jp'Jerception 
question and answer method largely enters, (a) 

recall what experience or knowledge the members 
already have which is similar to the new truth of 
the lesson before you and upon which you can 
draw in order to make the new truth plain. This 
use of the old in comprehending the new is known 
as " apperception " in psychology. 

(b) Divide your lesson into its few main points. Analyze 
This involves " analysis " and " perception," and 
helps you to make the content of the lesson definite 
instead of leaving it vague. Each one of these 
points should be illustrated. 



28 LEADERSHIP OF BIBLE STUDY GROUPS 



Associate 



Generalize 



Apply 



Prepare 
Questions 



(c) Associate these main points with each other 
logically so that the earlier ones in each case lead 
on naturally to the other later ones. This enables 
you to pass easily from one point to the next and 
also to help fix these points in the minds of the 
group. 

(d) Think out the general truth involved in the 
lesson. Formulate this general truth in as com- 
pact a way as possible. It represents the distilled 
essence of the whole assignment, the one great 
thing for which the whole lesson exists, the sum 
of the truth of the whole in a single sentence. This 
involves '' generalization," and enables you to sum- 
marize briefly the whole material. 

(e) Think out the possible applications of this 
truth to life and to the needs of the individual 
members of your group. At this point your prep- 
aration passes out of the region of theory into the 
region of fact. To do this involves knowledge of 
your men as individuals, helps you to make truth 
function in life, and gives you power with men. It 
involves " deduction " or '' application." 

Taking these five steps in preparation for the 
question and answer method of conducting the class 
fits in very well with the " five steps of formal 
method " of Herbart. This same kind of prepara- 
tion also is finely adapted to the lecture method of 
presenting the lesson material. 

(f) Furthermore, I should suggest, prepare a 
short list of essential questions concerning the 



PREPARATION FOR LEADING THE GROUP 29 

main points and the essential point you have to 
make, but do not let this list be seen in the meet- 
ing, unless you find it necessary. We cannot trust 
our impromptu questions to be the best, though 
some of our best questions will be called out im- 
promptu. 

(6) In preparinsf material to introduce into the Preparation 

° to Lecture 

meeting in lecture form, be sure you are the master 
of it, and that it is not already familiar to your 
group, and that it is really pertinent to the topic in 
hand. It is a good plan to have some exhibition 
material in connection with lecture work, which 
should be carefully collected and looked through 
before you want to use it, that no delaying and dis- 
turbing hitch may occur. The form into which 
you cast your lecture material may very well be 
the same as that suggested in the five points for 
the question and answer method above. 

At this point, in view of the nature and amount someEncour. 
of specific preparation actually involved, some ^^®™®^ ^ 
leaders may feel their hearts sinking. Such I 
would encourage by several considerations. 

If this thing is worth doing at all, it is worth Effort 
doing well, and to do it well is not simply going to power 
make you a conspicuous success as a group leader, 
it is going to give you power over yourself and 
power over men, both now, and in time to come. 
Nothing valuable in life comes without effort. 

The crux of the matter whether you are to sue- preparation 

1 r -1 1 J 1- • J • Will Lead 

ceed or fail as a group leader lies in your doing or to success 



30 LEADERSHIP OF BIBLE STUDY GROUPS 

not doing as recommended in these six ways. If 
the thing were possible, I would be willing to 
guarantee satisfactory success to nine persons out 
of ten who would honestly conform to these sugges- 
tions. 
It Pays This kind of preparation will indeed usually re- 

quire two hours for each coming meeting, and more 
at the first than later, but you will learn more than 
you can teach; the time of the meeting will pass 
pleasantly, profitably, and only too rapidly; you 
will become an all round better college student ; 
you may find you were " cut out " for a teacher ; 
and you will find all your college life has received 
toning-up and inspiration. 

But I promised to give you a few hints on how 
to study. 



Get 

Conditions 

Right 



Have a 
Purpose 



HINTS ON STUDY. 

These hints on study apply just the same to your 
regular college work as to your preparation to lead 
a Bible Study group. In fact, when you learn 
how to study, you will save enough time each 
week in this way to give to Bible Study prepara- 
tion. 

( 1 ) Get physical and mental conditions right, in- 
cluding temperature, ventilation, books and appara- 
tus, and a quiet mind. Yet a person needs to habit- 
uate himself to studying under difficulties. 

(2) Have a purpose in view, especially some use 
in mind to which you propose to put this very 



PREPARATION FOR LEADING THE GROUP 31 

material as soon as you can master it. This use 
may be personal or social. 

(3) Concentrate, keeping out distractions as Concentrate 
much as possible. By concentration we keep our 

minds at our task, bringing it quickly back as soon 
as it wanders and not allowing it to dwell upon 
interruptions of any kind, whether from within or 
without. Archimedes, the mathematician, said to 
the Roman soldiers capturing his city of Syracuse 
and running in upon him : " Do not disturb my 
circles ! " 

(4) Note carefully the subject which you are Note Subject 
studying. Experience shows that students do not 
sufficiently correlate topics and content. To fix 

the topic in mind puts the association machiner}^ 
of the brain to working in the proper direction. 

(5) As you proceed, don't cram, but think. JlJt%*h?nk"^ 
Cramming fills the mind with undigested and easily 
forgettable material. Thinking involves the com- 
prehension and assimilation of material. This in- 
volves going slowly enough to master each point 
thoroughly in its bearings before proceeding and it 

also involves reacting independently upon the ma- 
terial taken in. 

(6) Make notes freely. In making notes, take Notes 
down only the essentials ; keep exact references to 
author, title of work, and pages ; paste in impor- 
tant clippings ; report the gist of an argument in 
your own language rather than verbatim ; put in 
verbatim only important quotations and not a great 



32 LEADERSHIP OF BIBLE STUDY GROUPS 



Fixation of 
Material 



Mental 
Expansion 



Put Your 
Acquisitions 
to Work 



many of them ; have your notebook systematically 
arranged by topics, using loose leaves for this pur- 
pose ; provide an index to the main topics at the 
front of the book; and so make a notebook, not 
for exhibition, but for future personal reference 
and actual use. 

(7) Fix in mind the points you want to keep. 
You may be able to recall them exactly later for 
definite use, and, if so, so much the better, but, if 
not, these points will enter unconsciously into the 
warp and woof of your judgment. 

(8) Try to get that mental expansion in study 
that means intellectual joy. There is such a thing 
as so studying good material as to realize that it 
means a healthful straining of brain cells, the ac- 
quisition of new view-points, and the growth of new 
power. Under such circumstances it is no task to 
study. 

(9) Plan to use what you have learned, so far 
as possible, in order really to know it, to keep it, 
and to help others. By using our knowledge we 
" try it out," we sift the chaff from the wheat, and 
we gain skill and power. In preparing to meet a 
group, there is a definite expression to come from 
most of the impressions we gather. Thus the 
circle beautifully completes itself. In much of our 
academic study we can have only remote expecta- 
tions of use, though even such study has its de- 
velopmental benefits. 



PREPARATION FOR LEADING THE GROUP 33 



HINTS ON STORY-TELLING. 

It was suggested that you end with a story. Let it 

As a part of your preparation, select a story 
that illustrates your point. It may be a very sim- 
ple incident, a part of your personal experience, 
or drawn from the life of some great hero, like 
Grenfell. 

Rehearse your story to yourself to make sure Know it 
that you know it. 

Make it short by omitting the irrelevant details. Be Brief 
The parables of Jesus are inimitable models of 
story-telling. 

Give your story a beginning, a middle, a climax, The story's 
and an end. The beginning introduces the setting 
and the actors, the middle unfolds the action, then 
the climax gives the main point of the whole, and 
finally the conclusion is the natural outworking of 
the climax. 

When you come to tell your story to the group. Realize it 
feel it and realize it vividly as you tell it. 

Then do not moralize about it after you have told Don't 

Moralize 
It. 

It would be a good plan for the Training Class Practice 
to devote at least one meeting to having stories 
told by the members. 



Chapter IV 
THE ART OF LEADING THE GROUP 



General 
Suggestions 



Self- 
confidence 



Place of 
Meeting 



Beginning 



We begin with a few general suggestions on 
leading the group. 

(i) Have a measure of self-confidence that you 
really can do it. This is auto-suggestion. Of 
course your nerve is really tested when you face 
your group, especially at the first meetings, but 
you must rely on your faithful preparation and go 
bravely and self-forgetfully ahead. Even old, ex- 
perienced teachers often feel a quivering of nerves 
at the outset and are the better for it. 

(2) The place of meeting. Have a room alone 
for your group where there will be as few distrac- 
tions are possible to overcome. If there are pic- 
tures on the wall suggestive of biblical times, or 
books on the table dealing with similar themes, so 
much the better. 

(3) Beginning your meeting. Start sharply on 
time, if only one is present; the others will then 
learn to come promptly. Commence with brief 
silent or spoken prayer, or at times, if the location 
allows, with one stanza of a hymn. Be sure to do 

34 



THE ART OF LEADING THE GROUP 35 

something well worth while the very first meeting 
that the first impressions may be good. 

(4) Keep things moving in a lively but never Keep 
hasty manner. Don't show more enthusiasm than Moving 
you feel, but be sincere. Don't wear a point out 

by dwelling on it and do not rush over points be- 
fore they are really comprehended. Pass, how- 
ever, as rapidly through the material as the group 
can afford to go. 

(5) Dispense with the text and your notes as Direct 
far as possible. In any case keep them from com- 
ing between you and your group. It were better 

for you and your group members to be looking into 
each other's faces earnestly, talking over the mate- 
rial than to be buried in the texts. 

(6) Be very genuine as a leader, ready and Sincerity 
willing to state your own views fully and un- 
equivocally, but confessing ignorance, when you do 

not know. Never " blufil: " nor give evasive an- 
swers. You are not supposed to know everything, 
but you are supposed to tell only what you do 
know. Do not be less friendly to the members of 
your group on the campus than in your class. 

(7) Have a distinct aim of the ultimate sroal Have an 
.^, . T 1 , Ultimate 

of these group meetmgs. Just where do you want Aim 
your group to come out at the end of the course? 
This ultimate goal may well include these five mat- 
ters, knowledge about the subject in hand, the 
ability to think in this field, an appreciation of the 
significance of the matter covered, a deeper deci- 



36 LEADERSHIP OF BIBLE STUDY GROUPS 

sion of character, and the enlistment in some form 
of actual service. 



Which 
Method 
Shall One 
Adopt? 



THE THREE METHODS OF CONDUCTING THE 
GROUP. 

How shall the group be conducted? There are 
three main possible methods, each one of which has 
received mention already in our account of " spe- 
cific preparation for leading the group." These 
are : ( i ) The Conference or discussional method ; 
(2) Question and Answer; (3) Lecture. Perhaps 
these terms sufficiently define the respective meth- 
ods. 

It is recommended that the Conference method 
be mainly used, though individual leaders are at 
liberty of course to select the method by which 
they can succeed best. The reasons for recom- 
mending the Conference method to student leaders 
are two, viz., (i) the greater freedom it allows, 
which is so necessary in helping students to make 
personal investigation and trial of Bible facts and 
principles, which is our main aim; (2) the practical 
equality of status it implies between the leader and 
the members, being thus the most complimentary 
to the members, even the leader being also a learner. 
The student leader is really in a better position to 
lead a Conference than to question a class or to 
lecture to an audience. Still it is no slight or easy 
matter to conduct a Conference successfully. 

But when for any reason the Conference method 



THE ART OF LEADING THE GROUP 



Z1 



fails to work satisfactorily, you as leader must be 
able to fall back on the other methods as supple- 
ments. In fact, you will probably find that a 
combination of these three methods, making the 
conference idea central, works best of all. 

We will now consider the use of each method in 
conducting the group, beginning with the Confer- 
ence methodo 



THE CONFERENCE METHOD. 



Its 
Advantage 



(i) Its peculiar advantage: each member con 
tributes something naturally and according to ex 
pectation. He comes prepared to do so. Each is 
thus taught by all. If the work done were more 
scholarly, it would approximate the " seminar '* 
method. The leader's genius will appear in calling 
out the best from all members of the group. Thus 
the Conference educates by expression. 

(2) Its underlying philosophy: truth is to be S^^j^gQ j^- 
found by putting together various views of truth, 
allowing them to settle into as great a harmony as 
possible ; each person is entitled to his own opinion, 
w^hich he should seek to rationalize as much as 
possible through attrition with the opinions of 
others; each person should consider fair-mindedly 
opinions differing from his own ; truth is not to be 
formally stated and dogmatically advanced, to be 
accepted uncritically by all alike; truth is most 
likely to appear in the conceptual element common 
to all the opinions regarding it, as Socrates taught; 



38 LEADERSHIP OF BIBLE STUDY GROUPS 



Its Danger 



The Leader's 
Part 



Open the 
Question 



Have a 
Person 
Ready to 
Speak 



Keep to the 
Point 



in the last analysis, each person, enlightened by all, 
including the text studied, is to follow the vision 
of truth as he can glimpse it. 

(3) ^i^ peculiar danger: ^' You get nowhere"; 
each student has had his turn to speak and no con- 
clusion is reached. This danger would be fatal to 
this method if it were unavoidable, but it is an 
avoidable danger through the members having 
something to say worth saying and through the 
leader doing his part. We must also recognize 
that an opinion insignificant to the other members 
of the group probably means a great deal to the 
person who utters it. At least he has broken 
silence, which is something. 

(4) The leader s part in the Conference. This 
is of course the main element in the success or 
failure of this method. 

(a) Open up the question of the meeting by 
stating the issue clearly at the outset, briefly sug- 
gesting possible points of view regarding it, and 
calling for expressions of opinion. It is sometimes 
enough to state the topic and ask for the reaction 
of the members of the group upon it. 

(b) Try to have at least one man ready to speak 
up at once, to avoid embarrassing delays and for 
its suggestive value to the others. 

(c) Keep the discussion to the point; don't let 
it wander on and on to unrelated and non-essen- 
tial matters. The aim is not simply to get the 
group to talking but to talking profitably on thq 



THE ART OF LEADING THE GROUP 39 

problem in hand. The leader must tactfully Inter- 
fere, remarking to the effect that the new matter 
introduced is no doubt important in itself but that 
it will have to be reserved till another time as the 
proper matter before us is sufficient to occupy all 
our time. 

(d) Discuss mostly the questions whose answers Discuss 
make a vital difference to the personal conduct, issues 
Questions that are remote, abstract, theological, or 

not intimately affecting life may be profitably 
passed over rapidly or passed by altogether. 
"What practical difference does it make?" is a 
very good test of the topics admissible for discus- 
sion. If the answer to the question proposed for 
discussion affects life in no concrete way, such a 
question should not occupy much time. There are 
certainly times and places for metaphysics and 
theology but the group meeting can give but scanty 
attention to them. The woman of Samaria was 
very anxious to discuss a theological difficulty with 
Jesus as soon as she perceived he was a prophet, 
but he quickly put the conversation back on the 
practical basis. It is the leader's part to settle 
quickly and correctly whether the new matter in- 
troduced should have a hearing. 

(e) Avoid warm and protracted arsfuments be- Avoid 

. & Arguments 

tween two members of the group, which are too 
time-consuming and not sufficiently profitable to all. 
Each person's real point of view only is what is 
wanted ; it is not necessary for him to convince the 



40 LEADERSHIP OF BIBLE STUDY GROUPS 



Usgard the 
Individual 



Sum Up 



Make 
Applications 



Others of the truth of his position. The leader may 
suggest a harmonizing idea or he may intimate 
that these personal differences of opinion may be 
debated further after the meeting is over. It is 
very easy for two persons to discuss a question in- 
definitely, once they get started, but this is not the 
purpose of the group meeting. 

(f) After each one who will has spoken, call out 
the opinion of any backward, timid, or hesitating 
member who has not spoken, that each one may 
have some part and lot in the meeting. This cul- 
tivating of confidence on the part of certain stu- 
dents is one of the best things you can do for them. 
Furthermore, it attaches them to the meeting in a 
new way. Perhaps in no one of their college 
classes have they had such individual notice and 
attention as you give them. 

(g) After all opinions are in, sum up the various 
points of view yourself, state your own, and" 
extract, if possible, the common kernel in all. 
Taking this step will insure your " getting some- 
where." You may also properly allow other mem- 
bers of the group to modify or add to your 
formulation, if they will, without feeling under the 
necessity of defending yourself from such subtrac- 
tion or addition. 

(h) Finally, before telling your story, call for 
applications of this essential truth to life, personal 
and social, and make some applications yourself, 
such as you had thought of in your study of the 



THE ART OF LEADING THE GROUP 41 

lesson, but in a very tactful and suggestive way. 
Press home this truth very deftly into the very 
" business and bosoms " of your group members, 
emphasizing the principle that the purpose of know- 
ing the truth is the doing of it. Cap it all with 
your story simply and effectively told. 

As soon as the Conference is over, think how 
you can improve upon it next time. 

THE QUESTION AND ANSWER METHOD. 

(i) Its advantages; each member is made to Jts 
think by the leader's question, is brought to face 
truth in a new way, is compelled to put his mind 
to work, and is assisted in giving birth to his 
ideas. It allows the leader to carry through his 
plan formed in his *' specific preparation " some- 
what better than the Conference method, which 
is full of surprises. 

(2) Its underlying philosophy: it takes two to ^^ 
generate an idea, the questioner who stimulates 
and the answerer who brings forth a conception. 
This conception presupposes on the part of the 
answerer an inherent ability to think, as well as 
some acquired experience and ideas. 

(3) Its disadvantages: The formality of the itsDisad- 
process. The very fact that the leader is so defi- 
nitely prepared may lead tp the feeling that " the 

slate " must be told off according to schedule ; the 
questions may lack the life of spontaneity. Then, 
too, there is the danger of the lack of unity in re- 



42 le:ad*ership of bible study groups 



Hints on 
Questioning 



Be Prepared 
Yet Free 



Suit the 
Question to 
the Person 



Brief and 
Clear 



Question 
Before 
Naming thQ 
One to 



suits that also besets the Conference method. But 
all these disadvantages may be offset by the good 
questioner, by following through the steps of 
" generalization " and " application " made ready in 
his preparation and by attending to a few hints on 
questioning. 

(4) When you question, (2i) rely upon your list 
of previously prepared questions, though they may 
not be in sight, but be free and informal enough to 
ask questions that spontaneously occur to you and 
to receive questions at any time from the class. 
It is always proper for any member of the group 
to raise any question at any time, but it is not al- 
ways proper to stop and consider it then and there. 
Long lapses of time spent in answering class ques- 
tions that prevent covering the material must not 
be allowed as they leave the bad impression that 
the work is only talk after all. 

(b) Ask the right question of the right person, 
— of the one who can or ought to consider it. 
This involves again that the leader should know the 
individual capacities and needs of his class. 

(c) Make your questions short and clear, that 
the answerer may have no doubt as to your mean- 
ing and that you may take up very little time your- 
self. Such questions cannot be uniformly asked 
unless you have paid especial attention to ques- 
tions in your preparation. 

(d) Ask the question first, then pause slightly, as 
though considering the answer yourself, then name 



THE ART OF LEADING THE GROUP 



43 



the member to answer. By so doing, you get the 
attention of the whole group, you put them to 
thinking the answer, and you finally reach the in- 
dividual. 

(e) Ask questions whose answers involve judg- 
ment as well as memory. This helps to make your 
fellows independent and to give them the idea that 
they are to think with what they know, not simply 
repeat it. 

(f) Ask successive questions logically, so that 
the later questions grow out of the preceding ones, 
and that the unity of the whole may appear. 

(g) Ask suggestive questions, those that open 
up large vistas of thought and life, those to which 
no adequate answer can be given, and about which 
your group members may continue to think after 
they have left you. As an illustration of such a 



Judgment 
Questions 



Logical 



Suggestive 



question one might ask : 
titude of Jesus toward 
church?" 

(h) A few "don'ts." 



" What would be the at- 

the modern institutional 

Don't intimate the cor- "Don'ts 



rect answer in the question itself. Don't ask catch 
questions, unless you first announce them as such. 
Don't answer your own questions, unless asked to 
do so. Don't ask questions of the group as a 
whole, unless they be general or difficult questions, 
or those beyond the text. A little thought will 
reveal the reasons behind these negatives. In 
short, ask upright, straightforward questions of 
the individual members of the group. 



44 LEADERSHIP OF BIBLE STUDY GROUPS 

Questioning is a high art which may well engage 
our efforts, which cannot be successfully done in 
a haphazard way, and whose results are very re- 
warding. 



Its 
Advantages 



Its 
Philosophy- 



Its Disad- 
vantages 



Kints on 
Lecturing 



THE LECTURE METHOD. 

(i) Its advantages: It allows justice to be 
done to the subject by a rounded presentation. In 
fact, more artistic effects can be secured by the 
lecture than by either of the two methods hitherto 
discussed. A further advantage is that it best al- 
lows the introduction of new material, especially 
the results of scholarly work. 

(2) Its underlying philosophy: The lecturer 
knows the truth, an exposition of which he seeks 
to give, which the auditors receive. The truth is 
a matter for an expert to investig-ate and report 
upon. 

(3) Its disadvantages: the auditors may be only 
passive, receiving but not giving, — an attitude 
which is less than half educational. Further, the 
formal character of the lecture prevents the lec- 
turer coming into touch with his listeners as in- 
dividuals. Still further, the lecture method does 
not stimulate the members to prepare as do the 
other methods. These three disadvantages are 
enough to prevent the group leader, and they ought 
to be enough to prevent any teacher, from relying 
exclusively on the lecture method. 

(4) When you lecture. 



THE ART OF LEADING THE GROUP 45 

(a) Be full of your subject. Knowledge 

(b) To prevent rambling and floundering, have Outune 
a brief outline before you of what you intend to 

say, but be very familiar with this outline, and be 
free enough to depart from it, letting your mind 
be open to new ideas as they come to you from 
the stimulating presence of your group. Some of 
your best ideas will be wrung out of you in this 
way. 

(c) Be concrete; that is, discuss practical mat- Concrete 
ters, use illustrations, and show any exhibits you 

have to make. 

(d) Lecture earnestly, not to entertain, but to Earnest 
instruct and to benefit. 

(e) Feel the dignity of your subject and use Do Justice 
language appropriate to it, which will eliminate subject 
most slang. To win the sympathy of men, it is not 
necessary to use the coarse and vulgar language of 

the street; it is enough to quench the intellectual 
thirst of men by drawing from '' a well of English 
undefiled." 

(f) Follow your lecture with a Conference, an- FoUowwith 

-' . , . , a Conference 

nounced at the outset, m which you encourage 
others to ask questions and to express themselves 
on the matter discussed in the lecture. 

CLOSING THE GROUP MEETING. 

A few suggestions on closing the group meeting, 
(i) There should be neither ragged beginnings Neatly 
nor endings of the group meeting. The first sen- 



46 LEADERSHIP OF BIBLE STUDY GROUPS 



Promptly 



Announce- 
ments 



Prayer or 
Hymn 



tence should make a definite start and the last sen- 
tence a decisive finish. Don't shout directions to 
your group members as they are leaving the room. 

(2) End promptly. Be through all you have to 
do when the time comes to close. If any care 
to remain after the dismissal, well and good, but do 
not keep the group beyond the minute of closing. 

(3) Announce topic of next meeting, assign any 
individual parts, speak of additional literature, and 
suggest preparation to the group. One great test 
of your work is,^ — do the members prepare for the 
meetings? Make a reasonable assignment, which 
a student is sometimes better able to do than a col- 
lege instructor. 

(4) Close with a word of silent or spoken 
prayer, or, if the location allows, with an occasional 
hymn. Try to let members know in advance that 
they are to lead in prayer, lest one be found in the 
presence of the King without a proper attitude or 
word. 



Chapter V 

SEVERAL ADDITIONAL AIATTERS 

In this final chapter we must discuss certain mat- 
ters, important in themselves, that do not fall pre- 
cisely under any one of the titles of the preceding 
chapters. 

BETWEEN MEETINGS. 

The first of these concerns what goes on be- 
tween meetings. 

( 1 ) When you feel that you have partially self- 
failed, find out why, by personal conferences with 

the group members, or by self-examination, and 
avoid that mistake next time. Similarly, endeavor 
to repeat your successes by repeating the conditions 
that led to them. 

(2) Mention the work casually to members of Personal 

, 1 1 . ^rr Help 

the group as you meet them between times. Oiier 
any personal criticisms in private, never in public, 
though praise may be bestowed in the group meet- 
ing where praise is due. Offer to assist a person 
to whom you have assigned a particularly difficult 
part. 

47 



48 LEADERSHIP OF BIBLE STUDY GROUPS 
Utilize the (2) And this above all, involvinp^ real personal 

Principle of , , ' , ^ , ^ 

Activity work, seek to engage each member of your group 

in some form of activity akin to the matters of 
which you study. For example, if you are studying 
the " Social Significance of the Teachings of 
Jesus," each member should be actively engaged in 
doing some form of settlement or neighborhood 
work. The advantages are many : this is doing the 
truth, which is more important than knowing it. 
This is practically testing the theories learned ; this 
is education in religion by doing; this is the best 
preparation for getting the most out of the text; 
this is a good offset to academic aloofness ; and this 
•is the way to bring men to a saving knowledge of 
Jesus Christ, who '' did good as he passed along." 

HOW TO GET YOUR MEN TO PREPARE. 

It was said in the preceding chapter that a real 
test of your work was whether the members made 
special preparation for the meetings. We should 
not be satisfied to have them attend through a sense 
of duty ; they may soon not be coming at all. But 
we want them to come because they have something 
to give and to. receive worth while which they feel 
they cannot afford to miss. Ways of getting mem- 
bers to prepare are, to prepare yourself ; to assign 
special parts worth doing in themselves ; to expect 
preparation ; to show disappointment when it is 
absent; to follow up privately cases of absence or 
failing interest; to appreciate preparation when it 



SEVERAL ADDITIONAL MATTERS 49 

is evidently present ; and especially, to secure the 
practical activity spoken of in the preceding section. 
People's interests, "like their faith, follow their 
.deeds. 

SECURING ATTENTION. 

Of course you want the attention of your group 
all the while, and you want it because your group 
is interested, not because it is polite. Then to 
secure attention, you must keep the work interest- 
ing. This you can do by being interested yourself, 
by making things happen, by introducing variety, 
by changing your methods, and especially by mak- 
ing the treatment practical through contact with 
the real experience of the group. 

REVIEW. 

Whether your text provides for it or not, devote 
your last meeting to a review. The purpose of a 
review is not to test the memory of details but to 
see large unities of thought and application. The 
review should treat the whole text in very much 
the same way that each lesson has treated a por- 
tion of the text, viz. : 

(i) Bring out the main points in the course, Main points 
each lesson or chapter perhaps having provided 
one such. 

(2) Develop the unity running through all these unity 
points, showing how they are parts of one whole. 
Formulate this unity, if possible, in a single state- 
ment. 



Application 



Personal 
Expressions 



50 LEADERSHIP OF BIBLE STUDY GROUPS 

(3) Make a real application of the truth of the 
whole course to practical living. 

(4) A little time may profitably be spent in hav- 
ing the men report sincerely what the course has 
personally meant for them. Announcement of this 
plan should be made at the preceding meeting. 



FORMAL PROGRAM OF GROUP MEETING. 

At this point we propose to undertake the difficult 
task of suggesting to leaders a formal program for 
a fifty minute group meeting, allowing five min- 
utes leeway for unexpected matters. This pro- 
gram is only for those who are benefited by it; 
others may disregard it. In no case is it to be 
treated as an inflexible standard. It will be found 
that any one of the methods fits into it fairly well. 

It will be noted that the "' Beginning " rests on 
*' Apperception " ; the '' Middle " on '' Percep- 
tion " ; the " Climax " on '' Induction " ; and the 
'' End " on '' Deduction." 



SUGGESTED PROGRAM OF GROUP MEETING. 

I Beginning (10 minutes) 

1. Prayer (or hymn). 

2. Brief voluntary reports on doing the 

truth learned last time. 

3. Awaken sense of need for, and ideas 

similar to, the truth of the new lesson. 

4. State clearly and attractively the aim, but 

not the general truth, of the new lesson. 



SEVERAL ADDITIONAL MATTERS 51 

II Middle (20 minutes) 

1. Develop the main points clearly, force- 

fully and logically. 

2. Consider any relevant question from any 

member. 

3. Associate these main points with each 

other. 

III Climax (5 minutes) 

1. Formulate the general truth of the lesson; 

get a vision of it. 

2. Give illustrations of this truth. 

IV End (10 minutes) 

1. Apply this general truth to personal and 

social needs. 

2. Tell an illustrative story. 

3. If the time is ripe, enlist the will of each 

member in the performance of this 
truth diu-ing the coming week. 

4. Make next assignment, giving interesting 

directions. 

5. Hymn (or prayer). 

AN OBJECT LESSON. 

It IS always more difficult to apply principles of 
procedure than to formulate them. And the 
validity of principles should not be judged alone by 
the ability of their formulator to use them, though 
it is very natural to do so. Though running the 



52 LEADERSHIP OF BIBLE STUDY GROUPS 

double risk of being unable to follow my own coun- 
sel and of having the principles judged by an un- 
satisfactory vise of them, I will at this point at- 
tempt to give an object-lesson, showing just how 
the principles would work out in teaching a given 
lesson. The motive leading me to do this is that 
someone may be hereby helped further in both 
comprehending and using the main recommenda- 
tions. 

Because the object-lesson is single and only 
illustrative, certain of the steps cannot be taken, 
such as, the class reports on doing the truth of the 
last lesson, the relevant questions from members 
of the class, and the concluding story, which, in 
the case before us, might be drawn from one's own 
experience or observation. The topic used is pur- 
posefully familiar that the lesson need not presup- 
pose previous study for profitable perusal. Still I 
would advise careful re-reading of Luke xv before 
proceeding further. 

THE PRODIGAL SON. 

Luke XV : 1 1-32. 

/ Beginning 

Have we any need to know the mind of Christ 
and the attitude of God regarding men of sin ? 

What parables has Jesus just spoken? To whom 
was he speaking? v. i. Is there any relation be- 
tween these three parables? 



SEVERAL ADDITIONAL MATTERS 53 

What is a young man's natural attitude toward 
life? 

What is it "to be lost,"' in body? in mind? in 
soul? What emotions accompany the finding of 
the lost? Contrast with the publicans and sinners 
the Pharisees and Scribes as elements in Jewish 
society. 

What is a parable? (An earthly story with a 
heavenly meaning.) Our aim in this lesson is to 
discover through the study of this parable of Jesus 
the attitude of God toward the publicans and 
Pharisees, and toward his prodigal and obedient 
children of all time. 

// Middle 

The main points in the story are (i) the young 
man's going; (2) his stay; (3) his return; and (4) 
his elder brother. 

(i) The young man's going. What request did 
he make of his father? Why did he make this 
request, do you suppose? Why did his father 
grant it? Where did he go? Why did he go 
there ? 

(2) His stay. What did he do with his in- 
heritance? What distress came upon him? In his 
extremity to w^hat did he resort? How many 
friends had he ? What w^as " coming to himself " ? 
V/hat had he been before? What resolution did he 
f. rm? What confession did he prepare? 

(3) His return. What virtue had the prodigal 



54 LEADERSHIP OF BIBLE STUDY GROUPS 

besides that of resolution? What reception did his 
father give him? In what respects was the recep- 
tion beyond his faith in his father? Was his 
father's attitude that of offended justice or grieved 
love? What do the commands to the servants 
mean ? What reason does the father assign for the 
merry-making ? 

(4) The elder brother. What was his occupa- 
tion? What was his attitude toward the feasting? 
How does he seek to justify this attitude to his 
father? What reply does the father make? Did 
the elder son come in to the feast? 

Has any member of the class a question? 

Let us realize again the unity and the contrast 
involved in this story. 

Ill Climax 

Remember our definition of a parable and let us 
try to find the spiritual meaning behind the familiar 
story. ^ 

Who is meant by the father? the younger 
brother? the elder brother? What in this parable 
does Jesus intend to teach those who have ears to 
hear? (The forgiving love of God even for pub- 
licans and sinners, in the joy of whose welcome 
back into the family of God the Pharisees and 
Scribes should partake.) 

What other parables and teachings of Jesus de- 
velop the same truth? 

How does the life of Jesus show this point? 



SEVERAL ADDITIONAL MATTERS 55 

IV End 

Is this teaching of Jesus local or universal in 
significance? Who to-day in society are prodigals? 
Who are elder sons? Is the Father angered or 
grieved by sin? W^h^t effect does the realizing of 
this truth have upon us? How do these truths fit 
our community problem? What are we going to 
do about it? 

THEOLOGICAL QUESTIONS. 

Both leaders of groups and leaders of leaders 
will early be brought face to face with difficult 
theological questions raised by some members of 
the class, such as, the inspiration and infallibility 
of Scripture, the Virgin Birth of Jesus, the incarna- 
tion, the atonement, the resurrection, miracles, a 
personal devil, the future life, the nature of God, 
etc. Regarding such questions I would advise all 
leaders as follows : 

(i) Distinguish between such motives as gen- Distinguish 

. ., . . , . Motives 

ume concern, idle curiosity and attempts to evade 
moral issues prompting such questions. In the 
latter case they need not be considered at all. It is 
a trait of human nature to shift the discussion from 
a practical to a theoretical basis, if possible, as soon 
as the truth begins to be personal. Sometimes this 
occurs because a person is unwilling to meet the 
moral obligation of right conduct which is involved 
in a practical and personal application. 



56 LEADET^SHIP OF BIBLE STUDY GROUPS 



Sympathy 



The 

Practical 

Test 



' ' The Will 
to Believe * ' 



Do Kight 



Works and 
Faith 



(2) A theological question prompted by gen- 
uine concern should be considered sympathetically, 
patiently, candidly, and as briefly as possible. If 
the leader has views of his own, he should not 
hesitate to express them when called for, though 
in an undogmatic manner. 

(3) Stress should always be laid upon the prac- 
tical difference that it makes to Christian living 
whether a particular formula be accepted or re- 
jected. If it makes no practical difference at all, 
the doctrine itself may be true or false, but in any, 
case it is unimportant. 

(4) When in doubt regarding conflicting doc- 
trines, choose to accept for the time being the one 
that most inspires your life. To do so does not 
itself make the accepted doctrine true, but it helps 
you to come to the truth in time. By walking in 
the best light we have we come to the source of 
light. 

(5) In no case allow intellectual disturbances of 
faith to undermine moral and Christian living. 
Doubt, if you must, every creed in the calendar, but 
ever act as though right were right, and you will 
end by believing, perhaps in new form, much that 
you began by doubting. There are many Christians 
of many minds, but there is but one type of Chris- 
tian conduct; and persons may be equally Christian 
on very different intellectual bases, as Paul and 
Peter. 

(6) The really important thing in formulating 



SEVERAL ADDITIONAL MATTERS 57 

our theology is to make it a function of our Chris- 
tian living. Vital faith is really an effect of past 
action and a cause of future action. " If any man 
willeth to do his will, he shall know of the doc- 
trine," said Jesus. Christianity is the control of 
life by the spirit of Jesus. The person who is a 
Christian in this sense either has a theology fairly 
satisfactory to himself, or else could easily get one. 
The basis of vital faith is not pure thinking but 
Christian experience. 

You must search out in your own community, 
whether town or gown or both, those types of social 
service which enlist the unselfish purposes of stu- 
dents. To engage your group in such types of 
service will prove to be the greatest cause and the 
best effect of success in the Leadership of Bible 
Study Groups. 



APPENDIX 

HINTS TO THE LEx\DER OF THE LEADERS. 

The leader of the leaders may be the expert at 
the head either of the Normal Trainmg work in 
the spring or of the supervisory work in the fall. 
In the former case the concern is primarily with 
general principles of pedagogy, such as this manual 
tries to cover; in the latter case, with special appli- 
cations of such principles to the special material 
of the separate courses. 

Now I would not be so presumptuous as to try 
to tell either the Normal Trainer or the Super- 
visor how to do his work. Still it may not be out 
of order to indicate at this point a few of the ele- 
mentary things involved in efficient training and 
supervising. 

Efficient training involves the acquisition of two 
elements, knowledge and skill. The knowledge is 
to be acquired through the careful study of some 
manual on the elements of pedagogy, this one or 
some similar one. The skill is to be acquired by 
practice in the use of such knowledge. The Gen- 
eral Method Trainer will therefore see to it that his 
plass adequately comprehends principles and that 

58 



HINTS TO THE LEADER OF THE LEADERS 59 

through the preparation of model lessons, etc., it 
develops skill in " applying these principles. The 
Trainer will above all seek to conform to the 
principles he teacher. 

The Supervisor, meeting the group leaders in the 
fall, might naturally include the following matters 
in each of his meetings. 

( 1 ) Review the difficulties met by the leaders in 
conducting their groups the last time, suggesting 
how these difficulties may be overcome next time. 

(2) Consider plans previously prepared by ap- 
pointed leaders covering the beginning, middle, 
climax, and end of the next lesson to be taught, 
taking just one phase of the treatment at the time. 
The leaders should first be given the opportunity of 
commenting on each other's reports, and finally the 
Supervisor should make his suggestions. 

Three admonitions may be added : don't pro- 
vide too exact a model for imitation ; don't give too 
much unorganized material ; be sure to cover the 
practical applications at the end. And know that 
the sacrifices of time and labor you are making 
to do this work, though they may not be greatly 
rewarding to you, are sources of great profit and 
of keen appreciation to others. 



REFERENCE BOOKS 

Bible Study 

W. N. Clarke. — Sixty Years with the Bible 

($1.25). ■ _ ^ 

A. S. Cook. — The Authorized Version of the Bible 

and its Influence ($1.00). 
C. B. McAfee. — The Greatest English Classic 

. ($1.25). 
R. G. Moulton.— The Bible as Literature ($1.50). 

Leadership 

James Bryce. — The Secret of Influence. Reported 

in Current Literature, December, 191 1. 
J. N. Earned. — A Study of Greatness in Man 

($1.25). 

Self Culture 

Hugh Black. — Self Culture and Restraint ($1.50). 

C. W. Eliot.— The Happy Life (.75). 

I. H. Gulick.— The Efficient Life ($1.20). 

Study 

S. S. Colvin. — The Learning Process ($1.25). 
F. Cramer. — Talks to Students on the Art of 
Study ($1.00). 

60 



REFERENCE BOOKS 6i 

B. A. Hinsdale.— The Art of Study ($i.oo). 
F. M. McMiirry.— How to Study and Teaching 

How to Study ($1.25). 
J. G. Moore. — Outline of the Science of Study 

($1.00). 
J. P. Morley. — Aspects of Modern Study. 

Story-Telling 

S. C. Bryant.— How to Tell Stories to Children 

($1.00). 
L. S. Houghton.— Telling Bible Stories ($1.25). 
Edna Lyman. — Story-Telling (.75). 

E. P. St. John. — Stories and Story-Telling (.50). 

Questioning 

J. G. Fitch.— The Art of Questioning (.12). 
Joseph Landon. — The Principles and Practice of 
Teaching and Class Management ($1.60). 

F. L. Wellman. — The Art of Cross-Examination 

($2.00). 

Attention 

F. Arnold. — Attention and Interest ($1.00). 

J. G. Fitch. — The Art of Securing Attention 

(.12). 

J. L. Hughes. — How to Secure and Retain Atten- 
tion (.50). 

E. B. Titchener. — Elementary Psychology of Feel- 
ing and Attention ($1.40). 



^2 REFERENCE BOOKS 

W. B. Pillsbtiry.— Attention ($2.75). 

Method 

W. C. Bagley. — The Educative Process ($1.25). 
John Dewey. — How We Think (v$i.oo). 
H. H. Home. — Psychological Principles of Educa- 
tion ($1.75)- 

F. M. McMurry.— Elements of General Method 

(.90). 

G. D. Strayer. — Brief Course in the Teaching 

Process ($1.25). 
E. L. Thorndike. — The Principles of Teaching 
($1.25). 

Theological Questions 

William James. — The Will to Believe ($2.00). 
H. C. King. — Reconstruction in Theology (.50). 
H. C. King. — Letters on Greatness and Simplicity 

of Christian Faith (.75). 
H. Van Dyke. — The Gospel for An Age of Doubt 

($1,25). 



THE END 



CCT SI 1912 



